HY I CHOSE GRACE MANOR

While it’s often not easy for someone who needs assisted living care to leave the familiar surroundings of home, residents who have moved to Grace Manor at North Park have found that it’s a wonderful place to live.

“My parents feel very content at Grace Manor, and very safe,” said Diane Imber, whose parents, Walter and Cecilia Jaros, were the first to move into the facility when it opened last September. “They never have to worry about when to take their medications, which was one of my big concerns when they lived by themselves. And the people here are very, very kind, and check in on them a lot.”

At Grace Manor at North Park, the goal is to provide residents with the care they need while protecting their personal dignity and fostering independence. Because of its smaller size, residents are able to receive individual, personalized attention.

“I loved Grace Manor and so did my aunt,” said Beth Wisniewski, whose aunt, Sal Nagy, spent three months in the facility. “There were always people there to spend time with her– the staff stepped in when I couldn’t be there, and she really enjoyed the stimulation. In fact, during the time she was there, her speech improved immenselybecause there was so much stimulation–she really enjoyed the interaction.”

At Grace Manor, residents can relax on the cove red front porch, read a book in the library, or join in an organized game or exercise program. A state-of-theart cinema is available for those who like movies, and there is also an arts and crafts room where organized art classes as well as cooking classes are available. Residents feel free to paint, draw or work with ceramics at any time.

“Activities were very visible at Grace Manor–there was always something going on,” said Wisniewski. “Every time I’d go to see my aunt, she’d have something hanging on her door that she made in her crafts class. Even at 85, she was very active.”

Like Wisniewski and Imber, Michele Stanchina looked at a number of facilities before deciding on Grace Manor for her mother-in-law, Elizabeth Lindstrom. “We really like the owners, Steve and Laura Possino, and felt that they really took an interest in the care of the residents since they’d gone through similar assisted living experiences with their own families,” said Stanchina. “We also liked the fact that Laura had a Ph.D. in psychology, and had been working with seniors since she’d been in high school.

“It was also important to us that the owners were onsite,” she added, “and that they made it a point to hire people who truly cared about seniors.”

At Grace Manor at North Park, the residents’ comfort is a priority. Just some of the amenities at the facility include suite maintenance and daily housekeeping, personal laundry facilities and fresh linen service, private bathing accommodations and routine assistance with personal care. Because safety is just as important, each suite contains an emergency call system and heat and smoke alarms. Grace Manor boasts a professionally trained support staff that includes RNs, LPNs, CNAs, a psychologist, occupational therapist and recreational therapist. Staff is onsite 24 hours a day, and a physician is always on call.

Located in the North Hills, Grace Manor is close to the beauty of North Park and the convenience of numerous shopping districts. Because the facility is less than one mile from UPMC Passavant, families can feel comfortable that their loved ones have immediate access to medical help.

“One of the things that my aunt especially liked was that there was always something going on, inside and outside Grace Manor,” said Wisniewski. “She had lived in another facility, but it was in the middle of nowhere. She’d look out the window and see nothing. Here, there’s so much activity going on–she loved to sit out on the front porch and watch what was happening. She truly loved Grace Manor at North Park.”